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Meet Up
Meeting people that you've talked to on-line is a long-standing tradition at TOTSE. The first "TOTSE Face Feed" was held at a pizza parlor in Walnut Creek, California back in 1989. Eight members of the original dial-up BBS system got together for pizza and drinks and discussed everything under the sun. Since then there have been hundreds of gatherings far and wide.
To make it easier to set up meetings we now use the MeetUp.com service to organize local gatherings. If you're interested in meeting other people from this web site this is what you do:
- Get an account on MeetUp.com.
- Look for Meet announcements.
- Go to the Meet.
If there are no Meets listed, then organize one! Anyone can set up a Meet. It's easy.
THE RULES OF ORGANIZING A MEET
- Pick a location, date, and time for the Meet. This should be someplace that YOU HAVE BEEN TO that has enough seating for 10-30 people. Gathering spots should be quiet enough that people can have a conversation without having to yell at each other. Past locations have included pizza parlors, bars, coffee houses, private rooms at restaurants, bowling alleys, and hotel lobbies. One group used to meet near a wall of pay phones in downtown San Francisco so they could get calls from people who couldn't attend.
- Announce the Meet on MeetUp.com using an AUTHORITATIVE TONE. (The announcement will be automatically imported into the News of the Temple forum.)
- Include the DATE, TIME, PLACE, and a STREET ADDRESS.
- The announcement must include the phrase "I will be there." The person who announces a Meet MUST SHOW UP. If you announce a Meet, you WILL be there no matter what.
- Acceptable:
- "There will be a TOTSE Meet at Blake's Bar, 2021 Broad Street, New York, NY on Friday the 15th of December at 7:00pm. Look for the table with the 'Reserved for TOTSE' sign on it. I will be there."
- Not Acceptable:
- "Does anyone in New York want to get together somewhere?"
- "I'm thinking about calling a meet for Friday the 15th of December at 7:00pm at Blake's Bar."
- "There will be a meet at Blake's Bar, 2021 Broad Street, New York, NY." (When?)
- Arrive on time, remain for at least one hour, and carry a sign that says "totse" on it. (This can be a small folded sign that you place on your table or a banner you hang on a wall. It's up to you, but other people must have some way of finding you.)
- If you attend, you must tell everyone what your handle is, but no one is required to give their real name. If you want to take a photograph of someone at a Meet, you must ask (and receive) their permission. Many people on totse want or need to retain some anonymity, so please respect each other's privacy.
Expect to meet unusual people and make lifelong friends.
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